Olórin

Uhh, how did you get in the first time? Just do that again.

For an MA program, I would probably suggest prioritizing placement since MAs usually aim at giving students general competency in philosophy. When I did an MA, it was basically impossible to pursue your own interests because the courses demanded so much in so many different arenas. Also, you'd hate to have regrets if you go with the "fit" choice and then don't get in anywhere afterward... For assessment, look at the courses they've offered in the last two to four years, that will give one of the best indicators of what life will be like there.

Well, I think there's a difference between philosophy MAs and fully funded MAs, which tend to be on the competitive side. If an MA program only has 3 funded spots, and 60 applications, that's a 5% acceptance rate. They might admit double though, or move through a waitlist, so the final acceptance rate is higher. My experience with funded MAs is that they have between 3 and 5 spots a year, and they probably receive more than 60 applications. As for your record, it might be hard to convince them that you are better suited to an MA than someone who is transitioning into the field, since MAs have a higher "ROI" so to speak for students who need to build a transcript that proves philosophical competency. Some MA adcoms ask, "Could we get this student into a PhD program? Could this student get into a PhD program without us?" to help make their decisions. (Not everyone! Just some.) If the answer to the second question is Yes, they might be less likely to admit you over a non-philosophy major transitioning into the field. Basically, there are no sure things, and fully funded MAs are also very competitive.

100% double spaced for grad applications.

Miami University of Ohio is fully funded, they lean continental but are pluralist. Their placement record is strong among continental leaning schools.

It sounds like this was a 1-year MA--which adcoms will ideally be understanding about. Here's what I would see: a student who decided to pursue philosophy late in the game, who did extra coursework and a 1-year MA to demonstrated being up to the task, and who is in fact up to the task. I promise you I would have failed a dissertation if I had to write and defend it in less than one year. Basically, you're doing okay and you're still in the running.

I submitted a 25 page paper to a program that asked for 10-15 pages. They admitted me. I wouldn’t sweat it too much, the adcom probably didn’t even know what the application website stipulated.

Sounds like this letter writer doesn’t have your best interests in mind here. It’s unusual to have people approach you to write a letter, and it puts you in a compromised position. My suggestion is to ask your other letter writers if they think it’s a good idea to have this person write you a letter, and if they have suggestions for how to navigate the situation.

FWIW my college gpa was 3.4 and I am in philosophy PhD program. I did a funded MA first.

It’s really up to you. I applied to 6 programs because there were only 6 programs I wanted to go to. If I didn’t get in, I would have done something else with my life. If I was adamant that even a bad fit would be better than nothing, I would have applied to a lot more programs, probably in the vicinity of 15-18. Your letter writers might roll their eyes if you apply to more than 20, but they’re used to it. Schools that use interfolio will make the work easier for them (as others say above).

I am all in for number three! I find the lack of academic job prospects liberating for the reason you state, and I’m not worried or conflicted about leaving academia after I finish my program. (Seriously, I have a part time job this summer that pays more than I would earn by adjuncting two courses. It’s less work for more money, and I still have time to tinker with papers.) My general attitude is this: check all the boxes as if I planned to get an academic job in a field I would want to work it, and even go on the market when the time comes. But also: try getting administrative work every summer to keep the resume looking fresh, and enjoy the prospect of earning real paychecks outside academia. The attitude also helps me keep a healthier relationship with academia. I can be a part of it without devoting every waking moment to it

I’d have a look at University of Hawai’i.

idk what's happening there, but I know Miami of Ohio told all contract faculty (anyone not TT) that their contracts would not be renewed. So it might be a place where uncertainty is messing with available funding, and I am not sure the department would admit anyone without funding.

So, I would say two things. Getting an online MA in philosophy and then another MA in philosophy could raise eyebrows. Also, some (many?) university's will not consider applicants who already possess that degree in the field for which they're applying. So you might inadvertently shoot yourself in the foot by trying to get a leg up. (Mixing clichéd metaphors is always recommended right????) So, no, I don't really think an online MA will help you get into an in-person funded MA in the same field. And while I think online instruction actually has some merits, I think you'll encounter a lot of snobbish attitudes about an online MA from faculty on admissions committees.

Sorry, my answer was in reference to MAs that are in the US and fully funded.

Same as PhD programs

I think that would be extraordinary and unlikely. Most campuses are finishing the semester online, and I feel like extending the deadline would primarily be useful if that meant late campus visits could be accommodated. But if everyone is finishing online anyway, extending the deadline won’t help accomplish that goal. I think the only other reasons for extending the deadline would be administrative in most cases and primarily not for the benefit of accepted applicants. Also, there are governing bodies that would have to meet and agree on an extension, I don’t think individual programs can just extend the deadline on a whim. Also, people need to know where they’re going to live come August. Delaying the deadline prolongs that uncertainty. Then again, no one knows anything. So uh, maybe they’ll extend it. Someone could start a thread asking whether accepted people are delaying decisions because of this, that might clear things up a little bit.

I also think philosophy people have moved away from gradcafe. I think the initial move was in solidarity with old mods who resigned (or were fired? I cant remember) en masse. The idea of moving to facebook as an act of solidarity has always seemed a little off to me, but I understand why it happened and why people went there. I haven't looked at past years' results, but this time of the season always has a lull. Offers are out, waitlisters are stuck in endless limbo, and there will be little movement until the week of April 15. I think what mostly holds it up at this point are people who have offers and are also waitlisted somewhere else. The pandemic will probably prolong that lull. It might also be more difficult for university offices to process new offers once old offers are declined. But we just don't know.

I don't know about any CSU schools. But I'll say that if your only concern about UNM is that there aren't other universities around, then things are looking pretty good, especially because Albuquerque otherwise seems like a cool place to live. Stony Brook is also good, I don't think you have to worry about their placement relative to UNM's placement (anecdotal experience, please take it with a grain of salt). So between those two schools? Follow the money. Follow the weather. You'll be too busy in a master's program to notice what other universities are doing anyway (a doctoral program is a little different, it helps to have other programs around, especially when it comes to external committee members).

tbh I'm here for this. Like what kind of understanding of the admissions racket must someone have to think admissions is a meritocracy in the first place. And then what, @Coconuts&Chloroform wanted to be recognized as a super special snowflake for having flouted philosophical norms in the writing sample? Huh? As if norms exist because people valorize not following them, ha. Also, who tf complains about hating mainstream philosophy and then also complains about getting rejected from the most mainstream places there could be, and then also complains about getting admitted to other super mainstream places. Yes, we're all so sorry you get to proceed with a little scratch on your ego. Poor you, that must be really, really hard for you. So, uh, check the entitlement. And don't make a self-pity post about being accepted on a fucking rejection forum when, clearly, you don't know what rejection is.

I tend to think people have a look at transcripts (not just GPA). They can tell a lot from those. An especially good sign is when grades improve over time. An especially bad sign is when a 4.0 is earned by taking dud classes. Funny enough, my position was similar to yours. I had a job for several years after UG, which ended up being an excellent experience before grad school. Saving money didn't hurt either. I also had a 3.4 GPA in college (I didn't learn about grad school until my senior year, so I thought grades meant nothing until that point). And I was shut out the first time I applied. Everything turned out fine eventually, aside from the fact that I now dream about having benefits again. But really, I had time to accumulate furniture and amenities for a full apartment over several years before grad school, and my home life is COMFY because of that. Also, a lot of programs really don't prioritize the GRE quant score (fewer and fewer programs even prioritize any part of the GRE; they seem to be recognizing...finally...that a GRE score is a pretty good metric for assessing how one performed on the GRE, but a pretty bad metric for predicting how successful one will be in a graduate program). Just saying that if you're an imposter, then I am too. But, uh, I'm definitely not an imposter, and neither are you. You'd be amazed how messy people's transcripts are, and how varied their other quantitative metrics are.

I think you should consider an unfunded offer the same as a rejection. Don't pay for an MA in philosophy. Just don't. (Say you pay for an MA, and you get into a PhD after. Great, now you have debt, you have peers with fancy MAs that they did not pay for, and you'll feel bad about not having waited the extra year like they did to apply to funded MAs.) Only go to The New School with a 100% scholarship and an independent source of income that is not loans. It would be a bummer to move to New York City, have three roommates, work outside of school, commute 45+ minutes to campus every day, and STILL HAVE DEBT.

It's probably a matter of fit more than anything else. Columbia/NYU/CUNY probably wouldn't have a lot of resources to offer someone interested in Spinoza/Heidegger (if your sample aligns with your interests), so it would be unlikely for them to go for that kind of applicant over someone whose interests they are better equipped to support. Also, you're competing in a pool where almost everyone was a standout student in their undergraduate programs, so keep that in mind when thinking of what your application looks like relative to others. Even if you have a stellar sample and are a perfect fit for a program, that doesn't guarantee anything, because five more applicants are just as well-prepared and well-fitting as you are. People think admissions is a meritocracy, but it just isn't, there's too many other factors affecting how decisions get made. It's a cruel game. I am sorry for being harsh. It's just that no one's odds are very good and that having a strong application doesn't always match up with who does or doesn't get admitted.

I’d cross them off your list. Others might say something about secret waitlists, but better to cross the schools off then be surprised if something happens to turn up. And honestly, even if you’re in a secret wait list, most schools don’t get to them most years.

Very glad to hear you’ve had good news! Admissions season is such a gauntlet.